Finally – Aperture and Shaped Bokeh Relations Revealed

As everything with Steven, it is a combination of Art, science and Magic. Steven explored the effect of using different apertures on the final shaped bokeh effect, and did this in quite a unique way.

Using a 50mm 1.4 Lens, Steven took 16 different test shots. Each shot with a different aperture and a different bokeh shaping filter. Now here comes the smart part, the shape of the filter is the F stop used in the shot. Gotta admit that this is a pretty clever tagging system. (And actually way better than tagging the apertures with recycle symbols or bear paws).

Before we jump into the actual test, If you wanna take a stub on the bokeh thing, you can read the tutorial here,
or get a readymade kit here.

Below are the 16 test shots, for each of the aperture values. As expected, the depth of field grows as aperture becomes smaller. Also not surprising is to see that the bokeh shape is getting smaller (which matches the circle of confusion getting smaller as well). And there is a movie after the test images…

To get the idea of increasing circles of diffusion, here are two shots, with no filter at f/1.4 and f/8

The time lapse movie below is the outcome of that exploration. See if you can guess the aperture of each segment of the film.

Steven’s Flickr stream is filled with explorations, studies and general goodies, if you like this blog, there is a good chance you’ll like the stream

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Allen Mowery is a commercial and lifestyle photographer, pseudo-philosopher, and wannabe documentarian killing time amidst the rolling hills of Central Pennsylvania. When not shooting client work or chasing overgrown wildlife from his yard, he loves to capture the stories of the people and culture around him. You can check out his work on his website or follow along on Facebook, Twitter (@allenmowery), and 500px.

JP Danko is a commercial photographer based in Toronto, Canada. JP
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.

Laya Gerlock is a Portrait and Product photographer based in the Philippines. His passion is teaching and sharing his knowledge in Photograpy and has been doing this for 6 years. You can follow his work on his web page, follow him on Flickr and if you happen to come by Cubao, Quezon City (To Manila, Philippines) he gives a great workshop!

Maaz Khan started off teaching himself photography with a disposable Kodak camera he got for his 7th birthday. His main weapons of choice are now the 5D Mark II, and an LG G2 when mobility calls.

Stefan Kohler is a conceptual photographer, specialized in mixing science, technology and photography. He is one of the founders of Kamerakind, based in Traunstein, Southern Germany. You can follow him on Facebook or on 500px.com

Tiffany Mueller is a photographer based in Hawi, Hawaii. You can follow her Twitter here and her personal life here.